The Reunion

TALIA'S POV

"They must have seen us coming," Miles says looking ahead at the heavily guarded palace of the Blue Mountain pack. It's another palace without a tall wall surrounding it or massive gates to keep strangers from strolling in at will.

What however surrounds the magnificent building ahead is a big army of werewolves that look well-prepared for battle. But they are not strong enough or too many to intimidate me. As long as my mother is within that palace I will get her out safely.

They obviously didn't have the time to run off again since they had no way of knowing we are coming. They saw us coming from afar and hurried to get soldiers in a line outside to protect the palace.

I objected to Miles's idea to bring with us his best lycan soldiers to attack and capture the palace. After witnessing how ruthless he can be I know he won't spare a single life if I let him fight. There is no need for bloodshed when I have my powers.

"Don't worry about how many they are, I can handle them," I assure the Alpha.

"I don't doubt you."

I nod and we keep moving towards the line of wolfs. The three soldiers that escorted us here seem a bit hesitant. We keep moving forward anyway and the wolves lunge.

I make sure I have seen every one of them before raising their pains. They all recoil and fall to the ground, howling and writhing. I let them feel the pain until I am sure they will be too weary to attack us again.

"That's incredible . . . my Lady." The most delighted of the soldiers' comments.

"There will be more inside, stay by my side and you won't have to fight any," I advise, stirring my horse to move towards the big palace.

"Surely you don't think we came all the way here to witness you saving your mother," Miles says pulling out his sword. Mother must have trained him well for him to prefer using a sword instead of shifting into his wolf form. Too bad she forgot to tell him when to cut off heads.

He may have wanted to make a statement, but decapitating that man was an act of cruelty.

"I don't feel okay with you cutting off every head," I answer honestly.

"I would never kill a soldier if that's what you're afraid I will do. They are just loyal men following orders." He says in a reassuring voice. "I can however promise you that I will behead my father." He adds sounding quite candid and remorseless.

"Why? You can just lock him up after we capture him?" I question.

"He deserves nothing less than death, trusts me."

I shake my head at his brutal way of thinking. "Your father may not be good but he loves you. He wanted you to be the most successful and beloved Alpha. How can you not have a slight sense of mercy for him?"

He scoffs. "Right, I should feel a little mercy for him. But would you like to know the number of sick slaves he didn't feel a hint of mercy for? The young and old women he overworked to death when I had no way of objecting to him? Doesn't their lives matter as much as his?" He argues and I am left speechless.

"My father and his most loyal councilmen took ended every life they deemed unimportant and never felt a sense of guilt. I feel that I owe the families of those people their revenge now that I no longer have to play dumb." He explains.

At least he didn't decapitate that councilman to make a statement. But if he keeps cutting heads he will be no different from his father.

"Revenge doesn't necessarily have to be executed. Surely there are other satisfying punishments that those people will appreciate and won't scare the hell out of your pack members."

"Yeah, I can cut off all his fingers, toes and limps and send a piece to each family." He says with a serious expression.

I shrug my shoulders because I know there isn't he won't compromise more than that. It's also too brutal and savage. But his father deserves it anyway.

"I really have no right to tell you whose life to spare, you know your father more than I do," I say.

"Finally we agree on something."

He hops off the horse and leads the way to the closed front door. I had thought of setting it on fire because it is made of wood, but the Alpha makes it fly open with a kick near the hinges. His strength is extraordinary even for a lycan werewolf.

The few servants that were watching us through the windows run off when we step inside. Looks like they had sent all soldiers outside to defend the palace.

I start heading towards the grand staircase but Miles stops me. "I know where they must be hiding. Follow me."

I turn and let him lead us through a door under the staircase and down long corridors and hallways.

"You have been here before?" I question this because he seems to know exactly where he is going.

"When I was fourteen. My father and I came to visit and stayed for a whole week. I literally explored the whole place while he and other guests discussed business." He answers finally halting in front of a very heavy door that I am sure led to the basement. I try to push it open but it is locked from the inside, meaning he was right about where they would hide.

I step aside as Miles takes two steps back and kicks the door. It doesn't budge and he tries again. He hits it with all his strength. But it is Apparent the heaviest and most reinforced door I have ever seen. The Alpha's strong kick only makes it shake.

After four futile attempts, he sighs and steps back. I see why they would hide behind it, one could spend a whole day trying to break in with no success. Except when you have my powers.

I magnify the heat in the air around it until the whole door melts and the hot liquid flows down the stairs heading down to the basement. I make the air around it chilly so it quickly cools and solidifies.

"That's amazing." Miles comments, I only smile in response.

He and our escort follow me down the staircase. The big room is lit with candles and the people inside knock half of them down as they rush away to the farthest corner.

I finally see my mother's face, scared and tired but still beautiful. Her hands are tied up with a silver chain and Miles's wicked father stands behind her with a sharp knife placed against her neck.

Her lips curve into a smile despite the threat of death she is facing. The Alpha behind wears a frigid face that leaves no doubt that he will end her life if he has to.

There are only two other people in the room, a man and a woman whom I assume are Alpha Owen and his Luna. They are clearly terrified. This makes me wonder why they are hosting a devil in their palace if they were to get so afraid of the consequences.

"Take another step and your mother will quit breathing!" Jason hisses, pressing the knife harder against her neck.

My anger surges, but I know I need to be careful or we will actually lose her.

"Why did you leave my son and come here? He wasn't good enough for you?" The former alpha angrily yells the question.

"She did not leave me," Miles speaks as he finally shows his face, stepping forward from behind me.

His father's eyes go wide with shock and I see his courage falter. "You're . . . you're with her?" He stutters with shaking lips. "How can you be this stupid?!"

Miles snorts. "Stupid? I am not the one that thought I can bring down Evan by forcing his mate to marry someone else."

His father shakes his head. "It would have happened if you didn't become his puppet! You have ruined every single thing I worked hard to build! No one will respect you as their Alpha, you're an absolute fool!"

"I was only a fool when I used to follow your selfish and hideous orders. But I hated you even then. I figured out that every one of your actions is fueled by greed and envy. People hated you, you just didn't know it." Miles responds in a calm but firm voice. I notice his father's eyes fill with tears and his hands shake but he doesn't let go of the knife. "I am the Alpha now and you better do what I say or I will relieve you of your stupid head!" Miles threatens.

His father looks dumbfounded for a whole minute, his hand and knife still unmoving. He lets his tears flow like he has lost sense of his own dignity.

"I am not ever obeying your madness!" He snarls and I notice his fingers tightening again around the knife's handle. I wonder if I can raise his pain really fast so that he doesn't get to hurt my mother before his body gets weak enough.

He looks back at me with an intense glare. I can see in his eyes that he is determined to fight on. "You should have obeyed my orders, now you give me no option but to end your mother's miserable li- " He is cut off by a flying knife that plunges deep into his neck.

He gasps, his grip on the other knife loosening. His own son threw the knife, saved my mother's life and ended his father's. He doesn't look rueful, seems like he really was prepared to take the man's life and not shed a tear.

The former Alpha coughs up blood before slowly losing his balance and falling to the ground, dropping the knife he had in the process. Mother sighs with relief and hurries to hug me despite the chains still binding her wrists.

"Thank you, Miles." I say to the Alpha as I embrace my mother.